Dog dies after flight attendant forces it into overhead bin

On United Flight 1284 from Houston to NY on Monday, a woman who was flying with children and a small dog was pressured by a flight attendant to put her dog in overhead storage during the 3-1/2 hour flight.

They were on United 1284, which arrived at LaGuardia shortly before 11 p.m. Monday.

The flight attendant insisted that the passenger should store the dog along with carrier inside the overhead bin.

"At the end of the flight, the woman found her dog deceased. The woman was crying in the airplane aisle on the floor", Gremminger told One Mile at a Time. She was holding her dog and rocking back and forth. "I wish I had followed my gut and done something". I am heartbroken right now.

The Humane Society of the US says air travel can be risky for pets and especially unsafe for brachycephalic breeds - such as pugs or bulldogs, whose short nasal passages make them vulnerable to oxygen deprivation and heat stroke.

Gremminger said on Twitter she wants to find out the name of the dog's owners so she can help them.

Gremminer said she has been offered $75 credit by the airline which, she said, just makes things worse. Gremminger said the owner was preoccupied by her infant during the flight and did not check on the pet, which fell eerily silent after barking during takeoff and as the plane ascended to its cruising altitude.

"I'm sure the owner is going through the worst guilt", Gremminger wrote. Last June, rapper SchoolBoy Q accused United of putting his pet dog on the wrong flight to the wrong city during a layover. "The rationality in that moment must have so confusing". Although nothing can replace the dog, it's good to know United is working to get to the bottom of the situation.

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin", Maggie Schmerin, a spokeswoman for the airline, said in a statement. "We assume full responsiblity for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them".